Applied Materials, Inc.

Rong Tao

Peijun Ding

Roderick Craig Mosely

Zheng Xu

Liang-Yuh Chen

Xianmin Tang

Fusen E Chen

Joung Joo Lee

John C Forster

Jianming Fu

Praburam Gopalraja

Arvind Sundarrajan

Ted Tie Guo

Michael A Miller

Suraj Rengarajan

Daniel Clarence Lubben

Seshadri Ganguli

Roey Shaviv

Jianshe Tang

Suketu Arun Parikh

David Maxwell Gage

Shirish A Pethe

Michael Anthony Stolfi

Srinivas Gandikota

Hua Chung

Keith A Miller

Barry Lee Chin

Hong Zhang

Xinyu Fu

Seshadri Ramaswami

Jianxin Lei

Tae Hong Ha

Jick M Yu

Goichi Yoshidome

Wenting Hou

Jenn-Yue Wang

Dan Carl

Mengqi Ye

Methods and apparatus for creating a dual metal interconnect on a substrate. In some embodiments, a first liner of a first nitride material is deposited into at least one 1X feature and at least one wider than 1X feature, the first liner has a thickness of less than or equal to approximately 12 angstroms; a second liner of a first metal material is deposited into the at least one 1X feature and at least one wider than 1X feature; the first metal material is reflowed such that the at least one 1X feature is filled with the first metal material and the at least one wider than 1X feature remains unfilled with the first metal material; a second metal material is deposited on the first metal material, and the second metal material is reflowed such that the at least one wider than 1X feature is filled with the second metal material.

Methods and apparatus for forming dual metal interconnects

Methods and apparatus for creating a dual metal interconnect on a substrate. In some embodiments, a first liner of a first nitride material is deposited into at least one 1&#xd7; feature and at least one wider than 1&#xd7; feature, the first liner has a thickness of less than or equal to approximately 12 angstroms; a second liner of a first metal material is deposited into the at least one 1&#xd7; feature and at least one wider than 1&#xd7; feature; the first metal material is reflowed such that the at least one 1&#xd7; feature is filled with the first metal material and the at least one wider than 1&#xd7; feature remains unfilled with the first metal material; a second metal material is deposited on the first metal material, and the second metal material is reflowed such that the at least one wider than 1&#xd7; feature is filled with the second metal material.

Methods and apparatus for filling features with cobalt are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for processing a substrate includes: depositing a first cobalt layer via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process atop a substrate and within a feature disposed in the substrate; and at least partially filling the feature with cobalt or cobalt containing material by performing a plasma process in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber having a cobalt target to reflow a portion of the first cobalt layer into the feature. The PVD chamber may be configured to simultaneously deposit cobalt or cobalt containing material within the feature from a cobalt target disposed in the PVD chamber.

Methods and apparatus for filling substrate features with cobalt

A magnetron sputter reactor for sputtering deposition materials such as tantalum, tantalum nitride and copper, for example, and its method of use, in which self-ionized plasma (SIP) sputtering and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sputtering are promoted, either together or alternately, in the same or different chambers. Also, bottom coverage may be thinned or eliminated by ICP resputtering in one chamber and SIP in another. SIP is promoted by a small magnetron having poles of unequal magnetic strength and a high power applied to the target during sputtering. ICP is provided by one or more RF coils which inductively couple RF energy into a plasma. The combined SIP-ICP layers can act as a liner or barrier or seed or nucleation layer for hole. In addition, an RF coil may be sputtered to provide protective material during ICP resputtering. In another chamber an array of auxiliary magnets positioned along sidewalls of a magnetron sputter reactor on a side towards the wafer from the target. The magnetron preferably is a small, strong one having a stronger outer pole of a first magnetic polarity surrounding a weaker outer pole of a second magnetic polarity and rotates about the central axis of the chamber. The auxiliary magnets preferably have the first magnetic polarity to draw the unbalanced magnetic field component toward the wafer. The auxiliary magnets may be either permanent magnets or electromagnets.

Self-ionized and inductively-coupled plasma for sputtering and resputtering

Methods for processing a substrate include: (a) depositing a cobalt layer to a first thickness within a first plurality of features and a second plurality of features formed in a substrate, wherein each of the first plurality of features and each of the second plurality of features comprises an opening, and wherein a width of the openings of the first plurality of features is less than a width of the openings of the second plurality of features; and (b) heating the substrate to a first temperature to fill the first plurality of features with cobalt material while simultaneously depositing a fill material on the substrate to fill the second plurality of features.

Methods for forming cobalt-copper selective fill for an interconnect

Methods for forming layers on a substrate having one or more features formed therein are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for forming layers on a substrate having one or more features formed therein may include depositing a seed layer within the one or more features; and etching the seed layer to remove at least a portion of the seed layer proximate an opening of the feature such that the seed layer comprises a first thickness disposed on a lower portion of a sidewall of the feature proximate a bottom of the feature and a second thickness disposed on an upper portion of the sidewall proximate the opening of the feature and wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness.

Methods for forming layers on a substrate

A magnetron sputter reactor () and its method of use, in which SIP sputtering and ICP sputtering are promoted is disclosed. In another chamber () an array of auxiliary magnets positioned along sidewalls () of a magnetron sputter reactor on a side towards the wafer from the target is disclosed. The magnetron () preferably is a small one having a stronger outer pole () of a first polarity surrounding a weaker inner pole () of a second polarity all on a yoke () and rotates about the axis () of the chamber using rotation means (). The auxiliary magnets () preferably have the first polarity to draw the unbalanced magnetic field () towards the wafer (), which is on a pedestal () supplied with power (). Argon () is supplied through a valve (). The target () is supplied with power ().

A plasma sputtering method for metal chalcogenides, such as germanium antimony telluride (GST), useful in forming phase-change memories. The substrate is held at a selected temperature at which the material deposits in either an amorphous or crystalline form. GST has a low-temperature amorphous range and a high-temperature crystalline range separated by a transition band of 105-120&#xb0; C. Bipolar pulsed sputtering with less than 50% positive pulses of less than 10:s pulse width cleans the target while maintain the sputtering plasma. The temperature of chamber shields is maintained at a temperature favoring crystalline deposition or they may be coated with arc-spray aluminum or with crystallographically aligned copper or aluminum.

Sputtering of thermally resistive materials including metal chalcogenides

Embodiments of the present invention generally relates to an apparatus and a method for processing semiconductor substrates. One embodiment provides a method provides a method for processing a substrate comprising forming a seed layer over a substrate having trench or via structures formed therein, coating a portion of the seed layer with an organic passivation film, and immersing the trench or via structures in a plating solution to deposit a conductive material over the seed layer not covered by the organic passivation film.

Bottom up plating by organic surface passivation and differential plating retardation

An array of auxiliary magnets is disclosed that is positioned along sidewalls of a magnetron sputter reactor on a side towards the wafer from the target. The magnetron preferably is a small, strong one having a stronger outer pole of a first magnetic polarity surrounding a weaker outer pole of a second magnetic polarity and rotates about the central axis of the chamber. The auxiliary magnets preferably have the first magnetic polarity to draw the unbalanced magnetic field component toward the wafer. The auxiliary magnets may be either permanent magnets or electromagnets.

Auxiliary magnet array in conjunction with magnetron sputtering

A method and apparatus is provided for improving adherence of metal seed layers to barrier layers in electrochemical deposition techniques. The method includes depositing an adhesion layer continuously or semi-continuously without agglomeration onto a barrier layer prior to depositing a seed layer by controlling the substrate temperature, the chamber pressure, and/or the power delivered to a deposition chamber. Deposition of the adhesion layer prevents layer delamination which leads to agglomeration of the deposited layers and formation of voids in the high aspect ratio features.

Continuous, non-agglomerated adhesion of a seed layer to a barrier layer

Magnet array in conjunction with rotating magnetron for plasma sputtering

The present invention generally provides a metallization process for forming a highly integrated interconnect. More particularly, the present invention provides a dual damascene interconnect module that incorporates a barrier layer deposited on all exposed surface of a dielectric layer which contains a dual damascene via and wire definition. A conductive metal is deposited on the barrier layer using two or more deposition methods to fill the via and wire definition prior to planarization. The invention provides the advantages of having copper wires with lower resistivity (greater conductivity) and greater electromigration resistance than aluminum, a barrier layer between the copper wire and the surrounding dielectric material, void-free, sub-half micron selective CVD Al via plugs, and a reduced number of process steps to achieve such integration.

Dual damascene metallization

The present invention generally provides a copper metallization method for depositing a conformal barrier layer and seed layer in a plasma chamber. The barrier layer and seed layer are preferably deposited in a plasma chamber having an inductive coil and a target comprising the material to be sputtered. One or more plasma gases having high molar masses relative to the target material are then introduced into the chamber to form a plasma. Preferably, the plasma gases are selected from xenon, krypton or a combination thereof.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Rong Tao